Rent A Wreck

Red tries to be a kinder, gentler person... until he learns that Mike plans to borrow his van for use in a demolition derby.

Cast (in order of Appearance):, , , , , , , , , , ,

Segments: The Possum Lodge Word Game, Harold at the Office, If It Ain't Broke, You're Not Trying, Handyman Corner, Red's Sage Advice, Adventures With Bill, Famous People In Possum Lake History

DVD: The Red Green Show – 1999 Season

Transcript
''{Red walks up to a cluttered worktable outside the lodge. He holds a wrench.}''

RED GREEN: If you're like me, you probably have a drawer full of odd socks somewhere. You don't know what to do with 'em. Oh, sure, you might have a pea-head like Old Man Sedgewick and he can use 'em as tuques. But for the rest of us...

{Red walks out in front of the camera, wearing a tool belt with socks hanging from it.}

RED GREEN: ...may I humbly suggest... the sock tool belt. {puts wrench in one sock} Huh? So simple, it's breathtaking.

''{Red turns and walks off, but the socks have holes in them and the tools in the socks fall out on the ground. Red doesn't notice, however.}''

Intro
''{Red enters the lodge, waving as the audience cheers. He holds a card in his hand. He raises his arms up in the air and slowly brings them down as if to reduce the audience's cheering.}''

RED GREEN: Thank you very much! Thank you. Appreciate it. Had kind of a life-changing experience last week. Bernice and I {jerks thumb behind him} went into town to get some nails, and I– I just started losing it. You know, I started yelling at every other car on the road, and that's when I was walking down the sidewalk. And then in the hardware store, I'm giving the clerk grief because he's forcing me to buy a whole box of nails when I only need {holds up three fingers} three! {jerks his thumb behind him} I go out in the parking lot and I start hassling some squeegee kid. You know, I just– I got real upset that he's pointing out dirt on my windshield when he hasn't had a bath since '93! {shakes head} So I just– I'm going crazy! Then I hop in the van and I peel rubber right out of the parking lot! I'm just– I'm blowing a gasket here, and Bernice is, "Settle down! Settle down!" {holds up card} She gives me this card to help people like me that have to improve their behavior. Kinda make you settle down, be nicer, you know, and this helps you. {points to card} If you look, it has tips on here... {looks at card, squinting as he tries to read} helping me be a kinder, gentler, more forgiving and more helpful friend {looks up} to all that I meet. Eh? {smiles} See, the idea is, you help people out, you be kind to people, {looks and points at card again} and then you receive an abundance of rewards, both spiritual and physical, right here on the card.

{The front door of the lodge opens and Winston walks in.}

WINSTON ROTHSCHILD: Hey, Red.

RED GREEN: Yeah.

WINSTON ROTHSCHILD: {tossing Red a set of keys} Finished with the Possum Van, thanks for lending it to me.

RED GREEN: {looks at card} Well, uh, no problem, Winston. If I can help you, I'm happy to do that.

WINSTON ROTHSCHILD: {perplexed} Okay... I gotta tell ya, I can't believe how much that van holds. You know I got every one of my sewage pumps inside of it?

RED GREEN: {looks at card again} I'm glad it was to your liking.

WINSTON ROTHSCHILD: Anyway, I'd suggest airing it out the next couple of days. {leans in close} There was some spinach.

RED GREEN: {disgusted} Oh, man! {looks at card} Treasure your friends? {looks up} You didn't leave any treasures in there–

WINSTON ROTHSCHILD: No, no, no, no. {hands Red a dollar bill} And here's twenty bucks. Thanks for the trouble.

RED GREEN: {impressed; holds up the money} Oh, man, well, there's a physical and spiritual reward right there! I'm telling ya–

{The front door opens again and Mike enters.}

MIKE HAMAR: Mr. Green! Can I borrow the van 'til tomorrow?

RED GREEN: Oh, sure you can, Mike. {looks at card} You don't even have to ask.

MIKE HAMAR: Well, yes, I do, it sounds better in court.

RED GREEN: All right, uh, here you go. {hands Mike the set of keys} You might want to drive with the windows open for a while.

MIKE HAMAR: {taking the keys} Okay.

WINSTON ROTHSCHILD: I just returned the van today. {softly} I borrowed it yesterday.

MIKE HAMAR: That's an interesting anecdote.

WINSTON ROTHSCHILD: I gave Red twenty bucks to show my appreciation.

MIKE HAMAR: Well, I don't appreciate things as much as you.

RED GREEN: {waving dismissively} You know something, Mike? Don't worry about that. I'm happy to help you out if I can. You don't have to pay me anything.

WINSTON ROTHSCHILD: The least you could do is pay for the gas.

MIKE HAMAR: Okay, I'll tell you what I'll do: I'll, uh, I'll fill the gas tank up before I return it. How 'bout that?

RED GREEN: Sounds good to me.

WINSTON ROTHSCHILD: {shrugs} Seems fair.

MIKE HAMAR: Deal?

RED GREEN: Okay.

MIKE HAMAR: Okay.

''{Mike walks over to a plastic gas can with a long hose wrapped around. He picks it up and runs out the door while Red and Winston look at the card, talking softly and inaudibly among themselves.}''

The Possum Lodge Word Game
''{At Ranger Gord's tower, Harold is seated behind a table which Gord sits next to. Red climbs up the stairs to the tower.}''

HAROLD GREEN: Well, it's time to play the Possum Lodge Word Game! Haw! And today, we're on location in Ranger Gord's fire watchtower. {Gord salutes to the camera} And Ranger Gord, he's going to be playing for the grand prize of... the Possum calendar girl! {holds up a calendar with a sexy woman on it}

RANGER GORD: Can I see that?

HAROLD GREEN: {handing calendar to Gord} Yeah, of course.

{Gord takes the calendar and stares at it with wonder.}

RED GREEN: Uh, I'm glad you like the prize, Gord, but I... Are you gonna be able to concentrate on the game...? {points and makes circling motion with his hand} You gonna be all right with the game? Gord? Gord, you gonna be– {shakes calendar} Gord, we have a game.

RANGER GORD: {looks up at Red} What?

RED GREEN: {shakes calendar} We have to play the game. We got a game to play.

RANGER GORD: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure. {stares at calendar} What are these called again?

RED GREEN: {he and Harold leaning in close} What are what called?

RANGER GORD: These beautiful things.

HAROLD GREEN: What?

RANGER GORD: {pointing to calendar} This and this and this and this...

HAROLD GREEN: The women?

RANGER GORD: {smiles} Women! Yes! {looks at calendar some more}

RED GREEN: Yeah...

HAROLD GREEN: Can I take the calendar back and then we can just get on... {trying to take back calendar} Just gimme the cal– Gimme the–

RED GREEN: {overlapping} Gimme the calendar, gimme the calendar, gimme the calendar...

HAROLD GREEN: {grabs calendar and puts it down} You're gonna give me a paper cut. {looks up} Okay! Uncle Red, you have thirty seconds to get Ranger Gord to say the following word...

''{Gord covers his ears. Harold turns the word sign around to show the audience. The word is...}''

HAROLD GREEN: Water. Water.

RED GREEN: Yeah, all right, Harold.

{Harold sets the sign down and Gord uncovers his ears.}

HAROLD GREEN: Go!

RED GREEN: Uh, all right, Gord, uh... the body retains 90% of this...

RANGER GORD: Uh, lightning.

RED GREEN: Okay. This is something you drink.

RANGER GORD: Oh, uh, vinegar and sap.

RED GREEN: Okay, sorry, that's my fault. Um, not you. This is something normal people drink.

RANGER GORD: Oh, beer!

RED GREEN: Yeah, okay, okay. But this has no taste to it.

RANGER GORD: Oh, American beer?

HAROLD GREEN: Almost out of time, Uncle Red!

RED GREEN: Uh... alright, Gord, what– what is the most important weapon when you're fighting a forest fire? {smiles}

RANGER GORD: {scoffs} Spotting it before it spreads. Okay, I know that. {suddenly angry} You think I didn't know that? Huh? I was tired, all right? I haven't slept all winter, I dozed off, wake up; next thing I know, {gestures} fifty square miles on fire! You think I meant to leave the hot light on? Well, let me tell you something, all right? I put that all behind me now! All right?! That is water under the bridge, I don't care–

{Suddenly, Gord gets cut off by Red rapidly ringing a little bell to end the game.}

HAROLD GREEN: Water! {hands the calendar back to Gord, who stares at it again}

Red's Sage Advice
RED GREEN: I wanna talk to you older guys out there. You know, as the years go by, you end up looking into the bathroom mirror like you're looking under the hood of a used car. {nods} You see a lot of old parts, loose joints... {shakes head} and a tired power planet that uses an awful lot of fuel for what you get out of it. Now, most guys just put lower-watt bulbs into the bathroom, but some guys are actually going out and getting a facelift. {shakes head again} Please, please, think twice about that. You're only fooling yourself. No matter how many wrinkles you take out of the body work, you won't stop the transmission from slipping. Plus, you're messing with a good thing. See, the world does not expect much from us middle-aged guys. As long as we can sit up at the table, take out the garbage, maybe show up at work every once in a while, we pretty much carry our own weight. Once you start looking 25, people are gonna expect things from you that you can't deliver. Things like energy, ambition or any kind of a clue about anything. So I say just let the wrinkles and the jowls and the eye bags come, 'cause when you look like a basset hound, everybody will leave you alone! {nods and smiles} And let's be honest, that's all we really want. {nods again} If you wanna look younger, try smiling! It's cheap and it'll lift a lot more than your face! Remember, I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together.

Famous People In Possum Lake History
{Red walks into another room in the lodge.}

RED GREEN: Back in the 1930s, multiple births were rare. Everybody knew about the Dionne quintuplets and the cash cow that had been. So it was no surprise that our local town council tried to drum up interest in the birth of the Manning triplets.

{Cut to a photograph of three small children.}

RED GREEN: {voiceover} Born to Carlotta and Max Manning on August 24, 1932 was a set of triplets, the Manning triplets, all identical, especially in looks. They were all boys. They were named Snap, Crackle and Pop. That was the winning entry in a contest sponsored by our local paper, the Possum Lake Daily Movement.

{Cut to another photograph, this one of a house.}

RED GREEN: {voiceover} The town built an addition on the family home to house the new arrivals and to seat 150 paying customers on bleachers inside the house.

{Cut back to Red.}

RED GREEN: The family got the home and the town got all the gate receipts, plus all the merchandising rights and future considerations if the parents were crazy enough to try this stunt again. {smiles}

{Cut to Dalton in his store.}

DALTON HUMPHREY: Well, it was a disaster! Nobody came. I mean, who'd come to see three identical boys when you could drive a few hours more and gawk at five identical girls, plus get a chance to see what French people look like? Then the story came out that Mr. Manning had been in Europe when the boys were born. Plus, he'd been abroad for the entire year before that, you know? And it took the heartwarming luster of innocence off the story, {taps his nose with his finger} if you get my drift.

{Cut to a photograph of a man in a suit.}

RED GREEN: {voiceover} When Mayor Dennis Flaherty was named by Mrs. Manning as the boys' father, he confessed and immediately sued for half the gate receipts.

{Cut back to Red.}

RED GREEN: He was turfed out of office later that day. Many years from then, a broken man, his dying words were, "Bad things come in threes."

{Cut to Mike sitting in the back of a police car with the door next to him open.}

MIKE HAMAR: Growing up, those Manning triplets did all kinds of sports, and they always did them together.

{Cut to a photograph of a baseball team.}

MIKE HAMAR: {voiceover} Started with baseball. They played first, second and third base for the Possum Lake Marker Boys.

{The photo dims, except for a circle over three of the teammates, all the same height and standing together, presumably the Manning triplets.}

MIKE HAMAR: {voiceover} Even got their names in the records books as the only triplets to turn a triple play in a night game at home on natural grass prior to the fifth inning.

{Cut to Hap Shaughnessy on his boat.}

HAP SHAUGHNESSY: Well, all the trouble started in Turkey. The three Manning brothers and I went down and enlisted in the Possum County Light Dragoon Highlanders of Foot Rifles. But they never saw any combat action since they were pretty green. And funnily enough, our country wasn't involved in the Turkish war in any way.

{Cut to a photograph of three men with mustaches all dressed in military attire.}

HAP SHAUGHNESSY: {voiceover} Ironically, they wound up in the Army Postal Corps, sorting overflow mail for the Dionne quints. 'Course, that involved a lot of heavy lifting. All three brothers injured their backs and had to be (?) out of the service.

{Cut back to Hap.}

HAP SHAUGHNESSY: This led to the famous Manning rule: they would never again allow members of the same family to sort mail in the same unit.

{Cut back to Red.}

RED GREEN: Using their honorable medical discharges, all three brothers went to work for the post office where they went immediately on compensation until their retirement in 1987. The Manning triplets are still alive today. They're working on three separate volumes of their autobiography called "Is This a Great Country or What?".

{Red turns and leaves the room.}

Real World References

 * The Manning triplets' names are all the same as the three Rice Krispies elves, Snap, Crackle and Pop.

Famous People

 * The "Famous People" segment mentions the Dionne quintuplets, born on May 28, 1934. Oddly, based on that and the lodge members' comments, they would be two years younger than the Manning triplets.